Pages

Monday, March 5, 2018

7 Books about 18th-Century Women in STEM Fields

Note: Although health/medicine is not traditionally considered STEM, I've decided to include medicine for the purposes of this list.

7 Books about 18th-Century Women in STEM Fields

The following women lived in a time when women were greatly discouraged and sometimes even legally barred from participating professionally in fields such as math, science, and medicine; despite these limitations, the women in this list dedicated their careers or even their entire lives to contributing--sometimes profoundly--to their respective fields.

Émilie du Châtelet was a French mathematician and physicist who is best known for her opus Institutions de Physique and her translation of Isaac Newton's Principia, which contained her personal commentary that is now regarded as a profound contribution to Newtonian mechanics.

Jane Colden: America's First Woman Botanist by Paula Ivaska Robbins

Jane Colden was an American botanist who, though her work was never published in contemporary botany journals, spent years analyzing, illustrating and cataloguing American flora, resulting in an extensive, 340-entry manuscript.

The Lady Anatomist: The Life and Work of Anna Morandi Manzolini by Rebecca Messbarger

Anna Morandi Manzolini was an Italian anatomist, anatomical wax modeler and professor of anatomy whose detailed and accurate models and lectures on anatomy and dissection were highly regarded by physicians and students of anatomy throughout Europe.

Laura Bassi and Science in 18th Century Europe: The Extraordinary Life and Role of Italy's Pioneering Female Professor by Monique Frize

Laura Bassi was an Italian physicist and professor whose profound contributions to the study of physics in Europe resulted in academic appointments and a professorship at the University of Bologna, where she gave public lectures and used her professorship salary to pay for experimental research in physics and electricity.

The Quiet Revolution of Caroline Herschel: The Lost Heroine of Astronomy by Emily Winterburn

Caroline Herschel was a German astronomer whose decades of work alongside her brother William Hersche resulted in the personal discovery of multiple comets, several important astronomical publications, and high honors such as the Royal Astronomical Society's Gold Medal.

The King's Midwife: A History and Mystery of Madame du Coudray by Nina Rattner Gelbart

Angélique du Coudray was a French midwife who is best known for her decades of work in advancing broader knowledge of proper prenatal care, infant delivery, and postnatal care throughout France; given a royal commission, she traveled throughout the country instructing both midwives and male physicians through her lectures and the first known life-size model of pregnant woman's reproductive system.

The World of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Mathematician of God by Massimo Mazzotti

Maria
Gaetana Agnesi was an Italian mathematician and professor who became
the first woman to ever publish a mathematics handbook, which focused on
differential and integral calculus, including her commentary on a
mathematical curve which is known today as the Witch of Agnesi.

Visitors to Versailles: From Louis XIV to the French Revolution by Daniëlle O. Kisluk-Grosheide and Bertrand Rondot [April 2018]Enchanted Islands: Picturing the Allure of Conquest in Eighteenth-Century France by Mary D. Sheriff [April 2018]The Little Book of Versailles by Dominique Foufelle [May 2018]

A Genealogy of Terror in Eighteenth-Century France by Ronald Schechter [June 2018]The Culture of French Revolutionary Diplomacy: In the Face of Europe by Linda Frey and Marsha Frey [June 2018]

Robespierre and the Festival of the Supreme Being: The search for a republican morality by Jonathan Smyth [June 2018]Marie Antoinette at Petit Trianon: Heritage Interpretation and Visitor Perceptions by Denise Maior-Barron [July 2018]

The Routledge Companion to the French Revolution in World History edited by Alan Forrest [July 2018]

In the Red and in the Black: Debt, Dishonor, and the Law in France between Revolutions by Erika Vause [October 2018]Versailles by Colin Jones [November 2018]

About Me

I am a history loving writer who enjoys reading and blogging in my spare time. I currently run three blogs: Reading Treasure, a blog dedicated to books and more about Marie Antoinette and 18th century France; Treasure for Your Pleasure, a Tumblr microblog dedicated to Marie Antoinette and her world; and my newest blog, Inviting History, a book blog dedicated to unique and overlooked history books.

Contact

If you need to contact me with any questions or comments or if you'd just like to chat, please feel free to do so at my email: vivelaqueen[@]yahoo.com.

Review Policy

I am more than happy to consider reviewing books that are relevant to any of my blogs and interests. This includes non-fiction books which represent a unique, overlooked or niche point of view as well as fiction or non-fiction about Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution, and 18th century France. If you are interested in having a book reviewed, please contact me at the email above.